1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pipe cutting apparatus and, more specifically, to an apparatus for cutting a water or sewer pipe and methods of manufacturing such apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
When installing a water or sewer line, or other similar piping system, it is common to use pipes manufactured of a polymeric material, e.g., polyvinyl chloride (PVC), wherein one end of the pipe is a female end defining a socket and the other end of the pipe is a male end having a beveled outer circumference. The pipes are typically manufactured in standard diameters and lengths and several of the pipes may require cutting in the field to provide pipes having the necessary length.
Typically a rubber gasket is used to seal the joint where two pipes are connected. The gasket is captured within an annular pocket formed on the female end of one of the pipes. The male end of the other pipe engages the radially inner surface of the gasket to form the seal. The male end of a standard length pipe will typically include a taper or bevel so that the gasket is not rolled out of the pocket or damaged when the male end is inserted during the installation process. When a pipe must be cut to a custom length in the field, the original beveled male end is typically cut off and a new male end is formed. Workers will often try to bevel the edge of the male end of such custom length pipes in the field to avoid damage to the gasket. The use of hand held cutting or grinding tools, however, will often result in an irregular beveled edge.
After the pipe system has been installed, governmental requirements often require that the system be pressurized and satisfy specific pressure decay parameters. If the system does not pass the pressurization test, the leaks causing such failure must be found and corrected. Oftentimes, the source of such leaks is a damaged or displaced gasket at the junction of two pipes. The cost of finding and repairing such leaks can be very significant. Accordingly, a reduction of the frequency of such leaks is highly desirable.